Optical switching devices, such as optical cross-connects, are widely used to create switch fabrics and dynamically configurable optical networks. To minimize link downtime and to enable continuous link reconfiguration, the optical switching devices may require switching speeds of about 100 nanoseconds (ns) or less. Additionally, low optical loss of the optical switching devices in an on-state and high extinction in an off-state may be beneficial to reduce an impairment to the link budget.
Various implementations may seek to strike a balance between switching speed and insertion loss for the optical switching devices. However, low-loss optical switching devices typically have switching latencies on the order of 100 microseconds (μs), and high-speed optical switching devices typically have several decibels (dB) of insertion loss. Integrated optical gain components may be used to compensate for the insertion loss, which can add to the cost and power consumption of the optical switching devices.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.